Time-interleaving is the coordination of multiple lower-frequency devices to achieve a higher-frequency result. For example, some time-interleaved analog-to-digital converters coordinate the operations of two or more lower-frequency analog-to-digital converters to produce a digital output at a higher frequency, effectively replicating the effect of a single higher-frequency analog-to-digital converter. Time-interleaving allows for the use of slower, less-expensive components to produce high-frequency results that are prohibitively expensive or otherwise unfeasible to achieve with a single component.
Despite the advantages associated with time-interleaving multiple components, various logistical problems accompany the implementation of time-interleaving. One of these logistical problems is in the calibration of the timing of operations performed by the multiple components. For example, in a time-interleaved sampling operation, a clock signal may be used such that the first component samples on every even clock cycle and the second component samples on every odd cycle. In this example, the composite sample output from both sampling components will most accurately represent the signal being sampled if each sample is taken exactly one clock cycle after the previous sample. However, the high frequencies associated with sampling and the physical characteristics of the sampling components can introduce a static timing mismatch between the components, thereby distorting the accuracy of the time-interleaved sample.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.